Channel 4 is to pay tribute to comedians Ricky Gervais, Sacha Baron Cohen and Little Britain's Matt Lucas and David Walliams in a series of documentaries.

The three New Hero of Comedy shows will celebrate the success of the comedians, tracing their careers from their early endeavours to their present success and include insights from colleagues and commentators who encountered them along the way.

Gervais will feature in the first programme, which will chart his rise from his first appearances on Xfm and his early TV work on The 11 O'Clock Show to his current status as an international film and television star.

The programme, which will air on February 22 in a 9pm slot, was commissioned by the Channel 4 comedy editor, Darren Smith, from independent producer Tiger Aspect.

This will be followed by a look at the rise of Lucas and Walliams from a chance meeting at the National Youth Theatre to Rock Profiles and Little Britain. The programme was commissioned by Smith from independent producer Shine.

The final instalment will feature Cohen, documenting his meteoric rise from five-minute character features on The 11 O'Clock Show as Ali G to his current status as a major film star.

Independent producer North One Television will make the Cohen show. The Channel 4 comedy commissioning editor, Shane Allen, is overseeing the show.

BBC4 has also announced plans to make a number of dramatised biopics of cult comedians, including Frankie Howerd, who will be played by Walliams; Hughie Green; Tony Hancock; and the actors who played Steptoe and Son, Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell.

The BBC4 shows are due to air in the spring.

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